360 Degrees of Power

360 Degrees of Power is the only album by female emcee, author, and activist Sister Souljah.[3] It was released in 1992 on Epic/SME Records.[4]

360 Degrees of Power
Studio album by
Sister Souljah
ReleasedMarch 17, 1992 (1992-03-17)
Recorded1991
GenreHip-hop
Political hip hop
Spoken word
Length46:29
LabelEpic/SME Records
EK 48713 (North America)
469483 (international)
ESCA-5590 (Japan)
ProducerEric "Vietnam" Sadler
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]

The album was met with criticism, not only for its performances—most of which were angry spoken-word tirades that Souljah screamed rather than traditional hip-hop rhymes—but also because of its controversial lyrics.[4][5][6] Guest appearances were made by Chuck D ("State of Accommodation: Why Aren't You Angry") and Ice Cube ("Killing Me Softly: Deadly Code of Silence").[2]

The album's music videos were banned by MTV.[7] The album reached #72 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop album chart and sold only 27,000 copies.

Production

The album was produced in part by The Bomb Squad's Eric "Vietnam" Sadler.[8]

Critical reception

The Los Angeles Times called the album "a stark, disturbing primer on black power," writing that Sister Souljah "uses crude street language and scathing humor to convey her controversial ideas."[9] The Deseret News wrote that "the record fails by being too dogmatic to be entertaining, too hateful to be inspiring, too shallow in its musical and lyrical reach to be catchy."[7] Trouser Press wrote that "Souljah’s militant Afrocentricity contains such positive elements as self-reliance, self-defense, entrepreneurship, unity and education, but proceeds into paranoia ... syllogism ... and absurd sexism."[8]

Track listing
  1. "African Scaredy Katz in a One-Exit Maze" (4:36)
  2. "360 Degrees of Power" (3:36)
  3. "The Hate that Hate Produced" (3:03)
  4. "State of Accommodation: Why Aren't You Angry" (featuring Chuck D) (2:42)
  5. "Nigga's Gotta" (3:02)
  6. "Wild Buck Beer" (featuring MC Just Want to Get Paid) (1:09)
  7. "The Final Solution: Slavery's Back in Effect" (5:27)
  8. "Killing Me Softly: Deadly Code of Silence" (featuring Ice Cube) (3:05)
  9. "Umbilical Cord to the Future" (featuring Ras Baraka) (4:46)
  10. "The Tom Selloutkin Show" (1:16)
  11. "Brainteasers and Doubtbusters" (4:38)
  12. "My God is a Powerful God" (4:20)
  13. "Survival Handbook vs. Global Extinction" (4:26)

Charts
Chart (1992) Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 72

References
  1. "360 Degrees of Power - Sister Souljah | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 7: MUZE. pp. 495–496.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. "Sister Souljah | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  4. Mills, David (May 13, 1992). "Sister Souljah's Call to Arms: The rapper says the riots were payback. Are you paying attention?". The Washington Post.
  5. Rule, Sheila (June 17, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Racial Issues; Rapper, Chided by Clinton, Calls Him a Hypocrite (Published 1992)" – via NYTimes.com.
  6. "Rap: the new scapegoat". EW.com.
  7. "SOULJAH'S MILITANT SONGS LACK CLEVERNESS OF TRUE RAP ARTISTS". Deseret News. July 24, 1992.
  8. "Sister Souljah". Trouser Press. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  9. "Sister Souljah Gives Voice to Black Anger". Los Angeles Times. March 7, 1992.
  10. "Sister Souljah Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.



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